It has been announced that the head of the Eritrean Orthodox Church has been relieved of all administrative duties and removed from the control of the Patriarchate, according to Assist News.

A Holy Synod took place in Eritrea from 6-7 August 2005, at which Patriarch Abune Antonios was “frozen” from his position after several attempts to unseat him were unsuccessful, say Eritrean website Asmarino.com.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights watchdog for the persecuted Christians across the world, reported that the “freezing” of individuals that are not backed by the government is prevalent in the African country, and is used as an act of humiliation.

CSW also show that the constitution of the Orthodox Church reveals that its administrative body (i.e. the Holy Synod), should function under the chairmanship of the Patriarch, who acts as the chief administrator of the Church.

However, it has been confirmed that Antonios will now only be allowed to act in a ceremonial role and will have absolutely no impact on the every day operation if the Patriarchate.

It is thought that the administrative authority will now pass to Yoftahe Dimetros, who is a government lay person, even though this contravenes the Orthodox Church’s constitution.

In Three years ago the Eritrean government ordered for all Christian denominations to immediately halt all religious practices, except the Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran Churches.

This has led to an international outcry over religious persecution and restrictions in the African country, and it has been repeatedly reported that even these government-sanctioned churches are being repressed.

Assist News reports that the freezing of the Patriarch is the latest indication that the government is intervening more and more in the internal affairs of Eritrea’s largest Church.

Patriarch Antonios has been reported to have been more and more critical of the government’s rising interventions in Church matters, comment CSW.

In January of this year, for the first time ever, the Orthodox annual Christmas message was not broadcast on the national media in Eritrea. This occurrence is said to have come about after the Patriarch allegedly publicly objected to the earlier detention of a number of Orthodox priests and stated that the government was interfering in Church matters.

In addition, the Patriarch has also rebutted requests to close down a church, which is linked to the Orthodox renewal movement and attracts thousands of young people.

Asmarino.com has reported that prior to the Patriarch’s removal he had increasingly begun to challenge the Eritrean government’s regime on spiritual grounds and had objected firmly to its intrusion on the Church.

The Chief Executive Officer of CSW, Mervyn Thomas has said, “We are dismayed by this unwarranted intervention in the affairs of the Orthodox Church. The discourteous treatment of the Primate of a church that is supposed to have government sanction suggests that in reality the Eritrean regime is attempting to curtail every expression of Christianity in that country.”